Author: Stevon Burrell
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Vaccine Participation vs. Hesitancy – Who Do You Trust?
According to Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, as of June 30, 2021, Pierce County’s vaccination rate was 50.5%. COVID-19 vaccines are now widely available, but the number of people seeking vaccines has decreased. Organizations and agencies around Pierce County are sharing data, resources, and tools to help community members make informed decisions about vaccination. As part > Continue Reading
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Listening to Youth Helps Drive Racial Equity At Pierce County Nonprofits
Jonathan Jackson, Palmer Scholars’ Executive Director, runs an organization that supports underrepresented Pierce County students of color to overcome financial, cultural, and social barriers in their pursuit of higher education. He pointed to the fact that youth voice is essential for their mission, “If you’re talking about building an equitable future, but you’re not > Continue Reading
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COVID-19 Conditions Strain School Districts and Nonprofit Partners as More Youth and Families Experience Homelessness
Marilee Hill-Anderson, Directory of Community Engagement of the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District paints a picture of the staggering need families in the district are facing right now, “We had a family who was illegally evicted from a local motel that had been there for a year and a half as homeless. They were > Continue Reading
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Youth Hunger For Connection Served Up By Online Expanded Learning Opportunities
With the music pumping and blue disco lights flashing (well…in one kid’s room, at least) students and instructors from Tacoma Arts Live’s Hip-Hop Movement class moved together, via webcam, through the steps of a routine they had just learned. “I’m panting like my dog.” one of the students said, coming closer to the screen as > Continue Reading
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Make Civic Engagement Personal To Make It Last
Jennifer Keating, Land Use Planner for Puyallup Tribe of Indians, and her family maintain a family tradition during election season, “My significant other and I, we’ve created a tradition with our blended families where we sit down with the campaign guide and the kids vote. They go through the guide and they compare, and they > Continue Reading
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Technology and Internet Access Are Essential Needs Under COVID-19 Conditions
Arriving to work one day at Tacoma’s Peace Community Center, Development Director, Lianna Shepherd met a mother in desperate need of reliable internet bandwidth in order to work from home, “She’s worked for Delta Airlines for years, and now suddenly has to perform her customer service duties from home. The woman says, ‘I don’t > Continue Reading
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PIERCE COUNTY CONNECTED Extends Funding For Urgent Needs Under Persistent COVID-19 Conditions
“We just started taking kids and told parents, we know that there is money coming and we’re going to use the daycare grant to pay for the kids.” Located in the Hilltop community of Tacoma, the Multicultural Child and Family Hope Center provides important services to children and families. Gail Neal, Executive Director of Multicultural > Continue Reading
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DESPITE COVID-19 CONDITIONS, PIERCE COUNTY BEATS THE 2010 CENSUS SELF-RESPONSE RATE
Rural Pierce County communities like Buckley, South Prairie, Wilkeson, and Carbonado are often undercounted in census data. Steven Liefsen, Director of Equity and Achievement at White River School District, shared why having complete and accurate census data in rural communities he serves is so important, “We have a growing population of Hispanic families and the > Continue Reading
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Pandemic Philanthropy: Trust Is The Key To Impact During COVID-19
“A month ago, this was just an idea.” As Cassandra Williams was figuring out how to bring her newly leased Hilltop space up to code for her “Love by the Slice” baking business, COVID-19 hit. And so did community-based inspiration. A friend’s Facebook post alerted Cassandra, a Tacoma native, to the fact that some of her neighbors were in > Continue Reading
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Community Conversations Open Doors To Census Participation
“Our Elders tell us stories about the abuse our people endured during the boarding school era, when government officials would lock our children in closets for speaking their native language. To this day some choose not to shut doors in their homes. Parents attempted to hide their children during those times, so that they wouldn’t > Continue Reading